PITTSBURG, Kan. (Feb. 4, 2021) - Central Missouri basketball suffered a 79-72 loss to Pittsburg State Thursday night despite the Mules shooting over 50% from the floor. Senior Koray Gilbert scored a career-high 31 points to lead all scorers.
How it Happened:
• Four different Mules scored UCM's first points against the Gorillas. Central Missouri went 6-10 with three threes in the first five minutes to see their largest lead of the game with a 15-5 advantage at the 14:42 mark.
• A three-point play by Pitt State's Quentin Hardrict tied the game 18-18 with just under 10 minutes left to play in the first.
• Central Missouri held onto a slight lead until Pitt State landed three consecutive threes for a 9-0 Gorillas run. to finish the first half. The Mules went into the break down by two, 34-36.
• Both UCM and PSU finished with 50% shooting from the floor while the Mules stood out from behind the arc, hitting 5-8 to the Gorilla's 5-12.
• The first few minutes of the second half continued to be a back-and-forth battle.
• With a 45-43 lead, Pitt State saw an 8-0 run which would carry them into a 10-point lead. The Gorillas saw their largest lead of the game at 65-49 with 8:07 on the clock.
• Central Missouri fell to the Gorillas 79-72, despite Gilberts three three-pointers in the final two minutes.
• The Mules finished with over 50% shooting for the third game this season. They finished 25-46 from the field for 54.3%, 8-19 from the three for 42.1%, and 14-17 at the free-throw line for 82.4%.
• The Gorillas also shot over 50% finishing 26-51 (51%) from the floor, 9-21 (42.9%) from the three, and 18-24 (75%) at the line.
Leading the Mules:
• Gilbert led all scorers with a career-high 31 points. The senior guard finished 11-16 from the field, 5-8 from behind the arc, and 4-5 at the foul line.
• Gaven Pinkley went 4-6 and landed a pair of free-throws to finish with 11.
• Ja'Cor Nelson led the defense with seven rebounds while also finishing with 10 points.
For the Gorillas:
• Ryan Pippins went 8-14 with PSU's team-high three threes. Pippins also finished with a perfect 7-7 performance at the foul line for a team-high 26 points.
• Pippins also led the Gorillas with four rebounds.
• Hardrict finished with 14 points and led PSU with a game-high five assists.
News & Notes:
• This was PSU's fourth-straight victory.
• Koray Gilbert surpassed his 200th career point at UCM.
• Pippin's 26 points was a season-high for PSU's senior guard.
• Central Missouri continues to lead the all-time series 74-48.
Next Up:
Mules basketball is scheduled to take on the Lions of Missouri Southern on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Feb. 6th in Joplin, Mo.
